When I was about 3 years old, I received a Christmas gift that I treasured. It was a stuffed version of Boo Boo the Bear. You might recall him as being Yogi's little sidekick.
A few years later, Boo Boo was a mere shadow of his former self. His plastic ears and nose had been chewed on too much, and his physical appearance left a lot to be desired. Stuffing was coming out of his armpits, and he needed to be repaired in the worst way.
My grandmother, seeing the advanced stage of Boo Boo's deterioration, decided it was time to throw him away.
I protested, and I even told her she didn't have the right to throw him out, but she just casually tossed him into the fire barrel. I complained to my parents that evening, but they were part of the vast adult conspiracy, and I had to come to grips with the reality that Boo Boo was gone...ashes to ashes, dust to dust .
Years later, my sister Linda found the same Boo Boo at a flea market and bought it for me. So Boo Boo has arisen from the ashes, and he no longer has to worry about being thrown into the fire. He sits happily on my dresser.
So we humanize our little bears, but what I'd like to know is this: how did bears become the standard for stuffed toy animals?
Bears are large, carnivorous, and they are usually hungry. A kid hugging his teddy bear might be surprised to learn that the real thing would probably eat him without a moment's hesitation. That kid might as well have a stuffed jackal for a toy.
Whatever the fascination with bears, we have made them into something they are not: cute and cuddly. I place part of the blame on Captain Kangaroo. He exploited Dancing Bear to propagate the stereotype of bears as being something we'd actually like to have around. At least, I think that's what he was trying to do. Judging by this clip, you'd think that Captain Kangaroo must have had some ulterior motive, or was in the advanced stages of some rationality-robbing disease. Whatever you do, don't watch this if you are on any kind of drug -- it will surely push you over the edge.
3 comments:
I honestly believe that cuddly bears are partly down to one of your ex-Presidents - Teddy Roosevelt. Besides I would rather have a cuddly bear than a cuddly crocodile or a cuddly vulture. Sorry to say this but your little bear looks nothing like Boo Boo!
Understood, Yorkie, but why a Teddy Bear...TR was known as a conservationist, and maybe the Teddy Bear was used to promote the preservation of nature. But why not a Teddy Moose or a Teddy Buffalo...some Teddy that won't eat you!
They might not eat you but if they stampede they'll crush you to a pulp! Seriously though - you are right - it is weird how bears have taken up this cuddly kindergarten role when we all know that in real life you can't argue with a hungry bear. They're mean mothers!
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